The Other Side of the Blade
by Apirant
Summary: His courage is broken.  The boundaries are gone.  And the nightmare is just beginning.  If heroes are destined to lose, what will become of their corruption?
1. Prologue

A prison guard cautiously patrols the eerie hallway, checking each small cell as he walks by. With no surprise, struggling prisoners lie in the dull moonlight, continuing to ask themselves of their crimes. However, from a certain cell came a faint tune, played by an old man's harmonica as he sits on the top bunk bed. A pitied boy squeezes tightly onto his knees as he sits in the far corner, shivering from the unsettling cold of this ancient prison. "Old man; it's time." The guard's harsh tone echoed throughout the hall with all eyes glancing toward the boy's direction. Though the boy did not budge, the old man smiled after setting the instrument down.

"Please, take good care of it." After climbing down from the bunk bed to exit the cage, the barred door slams behind him. He follows the prison guard to the left direction, opposite of the staircase. Stepping into the room without a door, people lose sight of the old man, so they go back to their business, shutting the noise from their ears. The boy shakily walks toward the bars, popping his head out to stare at that room. Still, a blinding light blocked view of the old man. Suddenly, metal chains snap on, ringing its uneasy sound throughout the hallway. His body bangs onto a wooden surface. At that second, fellow prisoners paid their respect to stay silent as all of them looked down. It was enough to say it was as quiet as death. But it seemed forever.

An object instantly pierces through the air. A splatter of blood managed to fly into the hallway. The shackling of chains followed with the thud of a corpse. Turning away his face, the boy winces from the cruel imagination. It hurts, they know.

Deciding to treasure the harmonica, the boy washes it thoroughly in the cell's sink. Suddenly, thuds echo through the hallway. Before he knew it, a young girl sweeps by his cell, and immediately starts working on the door's lock. In a matter of seconds, it clicks open, falling to the floor. After slamming her foot to open the barred entry, she signals for him to follow. Hesitating, he decides to go with her. Having to rush, he didn't get a good look at her, but for some reason, she seemed familiar. As he trailed behind her, he already noticed the strange attire that fitted well for athletic actions.

Fellow prisoners groaned, all hands either clutched onto the bars or reached out between, begging for help. Yet a particular new prisoner stood out from the others, having a very bizarre costume. Although he didn't have a cellmate, his complaints made up for the conversation. Constantly insisting he did nothing wrong, he glanced toward the boy. Feeling somewhat of sympathy, the boy asks the girl to save him. Breathing a small sigh, she didn't take time to argue. Another lock clicks as the prisoner thanks both of them. Going ahead, the three descends a stairwell to the lobby.

Trying to ignore the unconscious guards lying on the floor, the three dashed into the exit. With the girl leading the way, they sprinted into the night. However, freedom was far from their grasp. Colossal knights stood around the exit, engulfed in their massive armors of steel. Metal feet clanked against the ground in a certain rhythm as each gave a tighter grip to their sword.

The boy watched the girl unsheathe a twin set of lethal knives. Setting off the first attack, she plunges forward, striking instant blows to specific body parts. Managing to scrape off the heavy armor, she jumps back, trying to protect the two prisoners. After looking at the situation, she sprints forward. Faking a quick slash, she pulls off a back flip on someone's chest then uses the helm as a spring, now skyrocketing into the air. Turning headfirst with her arms shifting for an aerodynamic form, the girl dived forward into the crowd of knights. Before she reached the height of the tall knights, the girl flung her arms out, showering the pack with smoke bombs.

The boy steps back, glancing in all directions. Suddenly, a massive sword tears through the air from the crowd, as a wild flash of smoke engulfed him. After feeling the impact of the fellow prisoner, shoving him to the ground, his ears watched the weapon soar over his head. His eyes whimpered to stay awake, but the overcoming excitement of it all gave in to his weariness.


	2. Beloved Girl Part One

_Link… Link… Are you awake?_

The boy sits up, only to see a familiar, young girl, clothed in a beautiful, violet dress with a strange triangular symbol standing out. Standing up with a confused look, he notices that they were in a damp cave, not far from the exit, and a glow flowed from the opposite direction. "Thank goodness you're alive. I am the wanderer that broke you out of the prison with my Gerudo mask. Junior already left, but he wanted to give you this." She hands over a wooden, unlit torch. "Huh, that's funny. That torch looks like the ones from the prison. Oh well, whatever. You must be tired out from the prison break. I think there's an inn at the small village southwest of here. Get some rest, trust me, you'll need it.

Walking away from the cave, the boy wanders through the vast field. At that moment, time didn't seem to bulge. It seemed an entire day has passed, but the faint moon close to the clouds. Staring up into the sky, the boy steps onto a cliff's edge, forgetting where he was going. Glancing to this right, he saw an empty farm with the sounds of animals playing outside. Turning to his left, he saw the small village, with only the water tower and the three-story inn standing out from the other houses. Without hesitation, he calmly enters the village.

Excluding the darkness of the mysterious night, it seemed a peaceful village with a few regular residents wandering around, while they stare at the starless sky. Suddenly, a girl swiftly passes by; running toward the inn, as she accidentally drops a pendant from her pocket. Taking the pendent into his hands, he tries to go after her, but as soon as he looks up, she wasn't there. Deciding to enter the inn, he looks around: She wasn't in the lobby. Deciding to talk to some people for help, the boy listens to each of their tales. Speaking to an employee, he gets a different response than he expected.

"Hey, did you see a man earlier?" Trying to recall back then, the boy says no. "We arrested a man recently because he kept stealing from the paying customers, but he escaped during transportation to a prison. I don't what happened to him, but we've been getting fewer visitors now." Looking for another staff member, the boy finds on just sitting down on a chair.

"I heard that the inn had booked reservations from different individual places, but the reserved people rarely came. Do you think something has happened to them?" He probably wasn't expecting an answer, because he turned his head away, staring at something. The boy decides to ask a non-employee, but everyone was in their rooms at this time. Dashing upstairs to the rooftops, he finds a man staring straight ahead.

"Sigh, every time I stare at the sunset, I feel like it's going to swallow us all whole, like a burning heat to melt. Huh? Sorry, I was just talking to myself again. Please pay me no mind."

Walking back into the lobby, the boy hears a faint conversation as he passes by a room. "That girl… It's impossible to be flawless of problems…" There were more to the conversation, but the people changed onto a different subject. Asking to rent a room, the boy received his request, having the second room to the right on the third floor. Putting away the pendant, the boy hoped to find the girl the next day…

Awakening to the drifts of smoke, he hops out of the bed to see what's going on. Suddenly, a furious boar, just as tall as the boy, charges into him, dropping the pendent onto the floor. Crashing through the glass window beside his bed, the boy tries to grab an edge, only to result in pulling air. Pain shattered throughout his back as the shards of glass dripped around him.

Slowing trying to stand back up, the boy notices the roof ablaze. A girl's scream rang from above, letting the boy know someone was in danger. Knowing what he has to do, the boy dashed toward the inn's lobby. However, a person holds his arms. Looking up, he saw an employee had grabbed him. "You can't go in there! It's too dangerous!" With his eyes glancing back to the entrance, he sees burning wooden pieces fall in front of the entrance. Managing a fluke to escape the employee's grip, he grabs a heavy rock from the ground and throws it to break the glass. Diving through the glass pane, the boy jumped into the inn, immediately surprised by the large group of birds, scattering from the walls, obviously afraid from the door entrance caved in by fire.

Another employee screams as he lay cornered by an irritated flock of birds. Starting off his way with a roll, he barely dodges some of them as they aim, only to hit the floor. However, looking behind lost his guard and three of them pushes him near the burning entrance. Knowing he can't get past pissed off birds, he pulls out the torch. Lighting it with the entrance's flame, he easily passes through. By the time he reaches the employee, most of the birds managed to figure out the broken glass pane. "Thank you! I locked the door at the stairwell to make sure our guests were safe from the birds, but it turns out there's a fire on the roof! Please help them!" Handing the boy the keys to the door, the man follows the birds to the broken window. Knowing he's safe, the boy quickly puts away the fire and runs to the stairwell.

As the boy reaches the next floor, an explosion of pigs boomed into the hallway. By pure instinct, the boy immediately sidesteps as the pigs leave the hallway. Suddenly, the door blasts open behind him as the boy falls to the floor, then soon feeling a pig run across his back into the wall. Wrestling the pig onto the ground, the boy recognizes it from the one who pushed him out. Deciding to take his chances as a rider, he sits on the pig and hangs on to its neck. Trying to throw him off, the pig wildly rushes through the inn rooms, making U-turn in each room to explore the next. As they finally get the last room of the second, the pig accidentally rams into a large chest, knocking the boy to the side.

With the terror of fire reigning on top of their heads, the boy did not wait to escape the room with the boar. Without hesitation, the two rush toward the stairwell. Suddenly, blazing logs in front of the stairwell as the boar jumps back, harshly catapulting the boy onto the third floor by the charred hole. Glancing back, the boy watches the pig fly straight another room, soon hearing the crash of a window. Noticing his surroundings, the boy stepped away from the charred stairwell. Spinning around, he sees a man fighting against a farmer, each armed with a pitchfork, as flames cover the very outlining edge of the inn, as the entire roof laid in rubbles on the floor. Suddenly, the man steps back, only to trip onto the floor, as the farmer takes the advantage to finish the match. "Dad!!" Squinting his eyes, the boy sees the girl trying to reach her father, as her mother holds her back. Stepping one step forward with a closer look, the boy sees the pendent from before, hanging on the girl's neck.

"Everyone will burn with me to hell!" The farmer screams with laughter. Taking this opportunity to steal the fallen pitchfork of the father, the boy points its end toward the farmer. "Heh, do you want to die so soon, boy?" Tightening the grip on his pitchfork, the farmer thrusts his weapon forward. With nimble movements, the boy sidesteps to the side and counters with the back of the wooden end of the pitchfork. "Damn you, kid!" The farmer grits his teeth as the charges forward. Immediately blocking by instinct, the boy felt his feet skidding across the ground as the farmer pushed on. Tripping back on a charred log, the boy fell right beside the mother and her daughter. Still, the boy struggled to keep alive as he blocked the pitchfork's sharp end coming from the farmer. Fire was dangerously close to the boy's head.

Knowing that she would never forgive herself if she did nothing, after what happened, the mother stood up and pushed the farmer. Taking this opportunity, the boy tries to swing the farmer's pitchfork away from the mother. Soon, the farmer trips over pieces of the charred roof, landing into fire, but manages to throw away his pitchfork. As it flipped into the air over the boy as he closed his eyes, the mother ran beside the boy.

"No… no…" Staring at the sharp points, just past the mother's back, the girl tries to touch her mother. Trying to not fall on the boy or her daughter, she smiles as her body tilted to the left. "Mom!!" Hearing the girls' voice staring overhead, the boy winces his eyes away. Then he saw arms trying to let the woman's body balance standing. Fire crackled as he jumped away. Pulling the girl away, she struggles to stay there. With the last bit of his energy, he barely manages to pull her off, and they run to the charred stairwell, remembering the fire. Jumping out of the broken window, the two separated as he watches the blazing roof. Staring up into the starless sky, the boy felt a quiet drizzle of rain cover him.

Meanwhile, as the flames trash the inn, a broken picture frame in the last room of the second floor lay under its shattered glass. With a closer look at the picture, two proud parents stared as the young girl smiled with glee. Fire crashes right beside the bed, as it spreads across the room.

The next day, gossip spread news from the villager to the next. In truth, everyone knew they were just visitors traveling through. Her parents weren't known, but their daughter had often explored the area with her cheery soul, softening the poor gloomy state of the entire village. Before, she was just an only child, almost content with her traveling life, but now, she lost herself as an orphan. People donated a funeral behind the inn as a friendly employee from before gave the boy a black tunic, related to something she knew, but forgot. After attending the funeral, the girl was nowhere to be found. The boy wonders what he should do now as he awaits for the sunset. Deciding to climb the ladder onto the tip of the water tower, he finds the girl from before, staring at the sunset.

Just flaring on the sea's horizon, it seemed the world was about to end. "Hey…" Turning his head, the girl broke the silence. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble… Thank you for your help earlier. Oh yeah, I never caught your name." Racking his head of the past, he remembered something before he came to the village. Something echoed into his head… Link…


	3. Beloved Girl Part Two

"Link, that's a nice name; mine's Mel." A short pause takes over. "You're still carrying that pitchfork, aren't you?" Her eyes beamed at his, without doubt to have an angry tone. Still, the pitchfork made a decent weapon, compared to the torch, but… "Sigh, did you know that farmer?" Link only shook his head. "I thought so… I think he tried to become a wanderer. You know what they are, right?" Link shakes his head again. "You're really clueless, aren't you? Supposedly, they have no emotion, whatsoever... And they run away, trying to escape their past..." A short silence comes from Mel. She whispers two more words, but looks away from Link. "I have to go now, but I'll see you later, okay Link?"

Watching her step down onto the ladder, Link glanced back at the sunset. Laying his back against the watertower, he stared at the warm colors of the sky. Still, the unsettling thought of the prison looking for him would trouble the village if they came. He still shivered at the thought of sharing the same fate of the old man, but he wanted answers...

Standing up, he felt less weight than usual. Checking over his supplies, Link noticed something missing... the pitchfork! Chasing after Mel, Link rushed down the ladder. Glancing away at all directions, Mel was nowhere to be found. Deciding for another look around, Link asks around.

"The girl? I haven't seen her since this morning's funeral. I thought you were with her."

"Thanks for saving the inn, kid. I owe you my life! Oh, she´s missing? Sorry not to be of much help, but I haven´t seen her either."

"I don´t suppose we met. I heard the inn was saved from a banned farmer by you. Ya´know, I´d bet you made the fire. It´s not too hard to believe, because you obviously have a torch and apparently, some experience with the animals. Aside from that, I also heard you fought off the farmer. You´d best be careful boy, because I´ll be watching you."

No clues of Mel so far... He wasn´t going to stay here forever though. The sunset had already vanished as the skies began to grow dark. If he was going to make his move now or never. Taking a deep breath before setting out again, he hears someone´s footsteps on the grass.

"I heard a lot of things about you, Link." Spinning around, he saw Mel standing before him. "There´s a bounty on you from the prison. That and the clues from someone I spoked to. Tell the truth. Did you help the farmer invade the inn?" Link shook his head. "You´re wrong! I know you did it... And you´re going to pay..." Taking out the pitchfork, Mel stares at Link hard.

Taking a few steps back, Link tries to stare at her back, but he couldn´t harm her. He couldn´t do what the prison has done to the old man and so many others. Running was a good option, but he needed that pitchfork. Deciding to take his chances, he stood his ground.

An angry roar engulfed the sky as she rushed forward. Immediately trying to defend himself, he blocked constantly with the small torch in his hand, taking many steps back along the way. Even if he wanted to attack, he couldn´t find an opening. Suddenly, she tries a heavy swing from the right, smacking Link onto the edge of a cliff. As he laid faced down, he saw the possible fall onto the crushing rocks, but he wasn´t granted a longer look at them.

Springing a diagonal strike, the torch blew into the sky as it fell behind Link. "You will suffer the same way my parents did. Goodbye, Link!" Slamming the pitchfork horizontally, Link manages to catch it, but she pushed forward as his body gradually slid over the grass. He didn´t want to end up like the deaths he saw yesterday. He didn´t want to feel that pain.

Luckily, he found another way to struggle back. Pushing his foot forward, he shoved Mel off him, while managing to swipe away the pitchfork. Unfortunately, he pushed her the wrong way.

In luck, she managed to catch a spare branch, stuck to the cliff, but to both of their eyes, it was obvious that it will break off soon. Desparate to save her, Link shot his feet down onto the grass as he lent the pitchfork to her. Deciding to take it, Mel pulls on its steel end...

Suddenly, just as Link pulls it up, the steel end slid off the wooden pole. Regret surged through his head as he looked away, while the scream before death reached his ears. Bashing his head against the grass, he hated himself. He could have saved her. He should have gave her the other end. He should´ve thought what would happen. He just hated himself. Just like that farmer, he commited a crime. The crime that he couldn´t bring himself to do. But he did it...

The clouds blocked the sky as he drove his head into the grass until he slept.


	4. Beloved Girl Part Three

Shaking his head, the young Link slowly stood up from the ground as he tries to wake himself up. Only the dull, misty morning presence lingered on the area as Link stared at the dense fog. Taking a step forward, he soon remembered, if he wasn't careful, he would fall at the nearby cliff.

Suddenly, his eyes caught a small blur of color somewhere in the midst of the fog before it disappeared. Again, only this time, there were even more. Again, but this time, about twelve surrounded him, and they didn't disappear. Each had a torn light brown clothing that covers their entire body, aside from their heads, but the fog managed to hide that. Link readied his wooden pole as he felt them come near. His eyes sprang alarmed as he watched the blurs take out a pitchfork, spinning it around in the silhouetted arms and hands that held them. Just as they all come close, Link stands there in shock as the fogs reveal their faces.

Mel. All of them were Mel, but she, or they if you count the rest, didn't seem to be looking for revenge. Just sadness and sorrow stared at him. "Link... I'm sorry. I'm so dumb, I can't even think for myself and believed in someone else's lies. I met someone wearing a funny dress. She told me everything... about you, about her, about the other world. I want to give you something before we never see each other again. Just... Just trust me on this, okay?"

Link hesistantly nodded. "Okay. I want you to listen to exactly what I say. Hold as tight as you can on the weapon you're wielding now. Take one step back and take your weapon just beside your back. After you are completely confident, I want you to throw your weapon away." Link trembled at the thought. Why was she asking all of this? Was the cliff behind him? Would she stab him as soon as he threw away the wooden pole? ...Would she betray him again? No. She was just an innocent girl before all of this. Even if she did, he deserved it. She said that she knows someone who knows him. It was a gamble, but he was going to take it.

Following her words, Link carefully slid one foot back. After feeling the grass pass under his footwear, he pressed it hard against the ground. Closing his eyes, he slowly brought the stick behind his back. After taking a deep breath, those questions immediately popped back up in his mind. No, he said to himself. This was the hardest step of it all. Link gripped firmly onto the carved oak. Flashing his eyes open, he let go of the pole, as it swung violently forward. Seeing this, Mel smiles.

The pole somehow curved at the one beside the Mel in front of him. Passing through the blur, the pole went to the next as a clockwise circle, but soon, time slowed down as Link glanced back at the Mel in front of him. "The Ricochet Slash. It's like a cursed cycle that goes on forever... People are born and then they die. No one can stop it, but only live on until their time. But in time, people lose faith and thinks of this cycle. However, there are always people like you... People who try to help. People who try to make everyone happy. A person like you is strong, Link. To actually believe a traitor is something I could never do. I wish I was like you, but... I want you to save the world that the girl was talking about. I want you to save both worlds... I know it's a lot to ask, but... I believe in you now. I believe you can make a legend that can live forever. A legend of a great hero..."

Soon, Link realizes the pole was about to finish off the round of blurs. Given instinct, he rushes to stop it. "Thanks... for everything Link... Good-bye..." Time gradually return to its normal pace as Link begs to stop it. Before he knew it, the wooden pole fell back into his hand as the last blur of Mel vanished with the misty fog...

Moving his head, Link stood up on the grass. Feeling the wooden pole in his hand, Link looked around. No sign of Mel... as usual. Link stepped onto the edge of the cliff, trying to stare at the water. Apparently, the misty fog only cleared up a little bit, because a white mist only covered the water submerged in rocks, but there was still a lingering thought that it was just a dream. Knowing that he weapon he holds in his hand would haunt him forever, Link shot the wooden pole off the cliff. Turning his back, Link tries to erase the memories, just like the wanderers Mel was talking about. Staring back at his inventory, he still had the torch and the prisoner's harmonica.

Suddenly, hearing the continuing sounds of a violent swing, Link spins around to see the wooden pole from before fly back in his hand. A small phrase shoots in his mind. _The Ricochet Slash. It's like a cursed cycle that goes on forever._ Blinking his eyes, Link turns to his right, and decides to head forward. He knew it was no use to try to forget. To live on with the curses was his punishment. Even if he had to live the rest of his life in fear...

Soon, the sounds of animals rang aloud. Pigs and birds jump around the farmland as two buildings stand behind them. Ignoring the barn, Link knocks on the front door of the house. Immediately, a chill springs through his back. If it wasn't for the curiosity, he would have turned the other way. Pushing the door in, it graduallly creaked open. Stepping into the house, it seemed too silent for any human to be around. Deciding it was isolated, Link explored the rooms. Passing by the kitchen, a sparkle manages to catch Link's eye. Sparkling on the table was a shined familiar pendent that Link picked up to get a closer look. Setting it back down, Link stares back at the corner. Rushing to it, Link looks around. Mel was here. But she wasn't going to show up. Sighing, Link left the building. He was convinced she didn't want to see him. If he remembered correctly, in that dream-like time, she said that was the last time she would see him. Deciding to take off in a different direction, Link hoped to find the prison. Now, he was somewhat confident, because of that skill he learned.


	5. Spellbound Prisoner Part One

…Caution; those of you of weak stomachs should immediately stop reading when the bars of a gate falls behind Link.

Calmly walking forward, the young boy stops in his tracks, staring into the fog to make out a figure walking in his direction. As it drew near, Link catches a glint, indicating a sharp weapon being prepared. Turning back, another figure walks toward his way.

Wanderers… Two in all… Setting the wooden pole in place, Link prepares for battle. The echo of a caw soars the air as a black crow swings by him. As the two wanderers took their time, the boy felt his heart pound against his chest as sweat makes its way down his face. The mere precious time it took could practically break anyone under pressure. Suddenly, a javelin rips through the air as it spirals over his shoulder. It was no mistake. That was a warning.

Suddenly, hearing the light shuffle on the grass behind him, Link turned to duck under a heavy swing across the air. Springing back onto his feet with a back flip, Link thrusts his weapon forward, only to grab a few seconds to fight the other wanderer.

Faking a vertical strike, a heavy horizontal swing bashes the Link's head, throwing him off to the side. Readying to trample over Link, the wanderer sprints forward with his staff. As his feet lifts off the ground, Link got the immediate instinct to block. However, a surge of blood splatters across Link's face as another javelin lands just a hair's breath away from his head. In the heat of this battle, time sped as Link caught the smallest glance at the victim's face as he landed over him.

Managing to shake his head to remember where he is right now, Link rolls away to see a man hanging on his stomach, as the javelin holds strong. Staring back at the other wanderer, Link feels an icy chill cross his back as the murderer smiles with his spear in hand.

Taking his chances back, the boy spins around then runs to escape with his life. Not daring to turn back, he closed his eyes begging that the murderer ran out of javelins. His heart ached. His feet shattered. Link falls down.

Gasping on his knees, he thought it was the end. Turning back, the fog left an unclear distance between the two. Using his sleeve, Link wipes off the blood mixed with his sweat. As a shadow passes by him, Link slowly turned his head.

Breathing a great sigh of relief, Link stands up, soon greeting David Jr., a fellow prisoner. "Have we met before? Wait a minute… That torch… A harmonica… I remember you! It's nice to see you again, Mr. Hero!" Soon, his face turns serious as Link asks him why. "Our savior has been captured. I didn't have to guts to go back to that place alone so I looked for you. Please, tell me you're going to save her." Hesitantly, Link shakes his head. "What do you mean? You're not just going to leave her there, are you?" Link nods. "What do you mean? You're not just going to leave her, are you?" Eventually, after a hard and pointless argument of the same question, Link finally changed his answer, seeing he had no other choice. "Great to know you got my back! Okay, here's the plan… You sneak in, bust her out, and run like crazy! My job is to be the watch for the entrance. Good luck, Mr. Hero!" Seeing how he didn't dawdle on his importance of the mission, Link crouched at the top of the hill, shuddering as he saw the unforgiving prison down below.

Wasted of his childhood and stolen of his innocence, Link grown most of his childhood here, suffering every painful moment as he felt every inhuman murder take place.

"All right, the coast is clear! See if you can find any other guys to help you out!"

Scattering to his feet, Link flew off the hill as the prison guard lingered at the far corner. However, just as Link dart into the empty void, David notices a silhouette trace the boy with his eyes. Suddenly, a heavy _gate_ crashes behind Link.

Tortured by the darkness of the prison, Link finds himself near-sighted as he slowly creeps forward into the long corridor. It didn't take long to notice a hideous stench haunting the floor.

Gradually advancing through, Link jumps back at the first thing he sees. Taking a step forward, Link immediately looked away as he realized what was in front of him. Three heavy rats bobbed their heads into the rotting corpse, shuffling along with the various insects for any flesh. Unfortunately, if that wasn't enough, another rat managed to wiggle out of the skull's eye, with well evidence of the blood drenching its cluttered fur.

Stepping a fair distance with every step away from the body, Link finds the entrance to the staircase occupied. In the far right corner of the room, a man muffles as his body struggled to break out of its webbed cage. Mistaking another silhouette for a giant rat, a plump spider scatters its eight legs toward the man's face, fixing a quieter tone. Just as it does this though, hundreds of smaller beasts crawl their way to a webbed part where Link would say his stomach. In mere seconds, a concentrated hole led spiders diving in it, as where Link could tell, the man stopped moving. The outer rim of the hole became soaked in red, as skin did not appear to be a strong obstacle. Unable to bear it any longer, the boy sidles along the wall to follow the stairwell.


	6. Spellbound Prisoner Part Two

Leaving behind the lobby, a sudden pain surged through Link's head as he fell to his knees. Thousands of voices entered at his head as Link raged, busting his head on the nearest wall to suppress the pain.

"Remember…" The boy's first cellmate often muttered to himself, constantly glancing at the boy and the window. "Remember the sins that they commit here tonight." Despite his strange words, he sounded like a priest…

_"His time was up. His luck ran out. And his name became forgotten. This is what happens when people take too much for granted."_ The boy couldn't help, but feel those words relate to his life…

"Those who failed to escape paid with their lives." In less than a week, another cellmate would replace the one before him. However, the population began to run out. It was only recently that one of the oldest revisited the boy's cell.

"Luck supposedly changes everything… From its use as a tiebreaker to a blind shot, gambled in a game, luck has its place."

"Hey… It's your time." Still, in the end, every cellmate that passed by suffered the end of life.

…Finally, Link managed to shut out the voices, stopping the overflow of distant memories. Standing to his feet, Link looked away from the end of the hall. Glancing to the side, a wooden door laid to his left, with a rusted handle. Carefully gripping it, Link cautiously steps into the room.

A circular wall surrounded the boy as he examined his situation. No windows existed in this room, yet an eerie blue light reflected off the floor and walls. Walking toward the center of the room, the boy calmly picks up a strange scroll. Not given the chance to read it, the door slams shut, as a ceiling became visible. Steel spikes burst from the ceiling, with the ceiling slowly spiraling toward the floor, grinding against the walls. Without hesitation, the boy charges his small body against the door, only to bounce back. Attempting another time, the boy bolts across the room, managing to loosen the hinges of the old door. With the grinding sound louder than ever, the boy shot his last bit of strength, tackling the door again. Bursting back into the hallway, Link fell to the wall facing the door, watching the shadow of the ceiling drown out the blue light. Eventually, the door crawled back into its place, closing the room.

Glancing back at the scroll only encrypted words lie on its worn texture. Suddenly, a painful groan bellowed throughout the hallway. Link looks up to see another prison guard, limping against the cell bars of the hallway, as fresh bite wounds peeked from the torn holes of his uniform. "Leave… this place." Trying to step back, Link found his body unable to move, as his legs trembled beneath him. "No… survivors." Before he knew it, the guard stood just several feet away from him, moaning in pain. Strangely, the wooden door seemed to act on its own, creaking open as a blue light engulfed his body.

Falling back on his rear, the boy laid there, petrified as he stared at the prison guard walking into the blue light. In mere seconds, a wild roar echoed throughout the hallway, screaming in pain as his skin dissolved into a hardened shell, rotting of a hideous brown color.

Suddenly, the boy comes back to reality, finding his feet lifting off the floor, as the monster in front of him strangled his neck. Instantly, a trickle of blood splatters on the floor, as well as several chunks of rocks, with the boy coughing as his back ached against the wall. Still holding the boy by his neck, the monster flings him across the hallway, soon closing the door to gain his prison guard appearance.

Immediate pain surged again through his bones, as Link gasps for air. Struggling to bring his weak legs on their feet, Link spits out blood, soon concentrating on the battle.

_Remember… the sins that they commit here tonight._ Suddenly, painful memories came rushing through Link's head again. _His time was up._ It felt like his skull would explode. _His luck ran out._ The pain in his legs screamed as if they were drenched in lava. _And his name became forgotten._ At that point, rage had forgotten fear, and death never existed.

Bellowing a deafening war cry, Link unleashes the Ricochet Slash, ripping through the stale air. After it shuffled against the cell bars, thundering an immense noise, it struck the guard by his head. Rushing forward, Link caught the weapon as it bounces back into his hand, as his feet rocketed toward the air. Soon, time slowed in motion as a violent swing cracked upon the guard's head.

Again, his heart ached, breathing heavily as Link dropped the wooden pole, now snapped in half. However, something was missing. Link turned his head away from the cold floors to look up at the prison guard. Only a large crack from under his left eye drew down to his lips, revealing his decomposed skin underneath.

Before Link knew it, his body flipped through the air by the monster's grip, slamming down onto the cold hard floor, just in front of the door with that rusted handle.

"You…" The guard gargles out another cry, stumbling forward with a hand reaching toward Link. "Not… enough." Suddenly, his arm wildly twists around in the air, soon breaking out a heavy crackling sound of the bone. "Run…" Using whatever strength Link had left, he shot his arm in effort, scarcely gripping the rusted handle, creaking the door open, as the blue light flooded back. "No…" The guard falls to his knees with a thud, with only the door separating him from Link.

Tiny cracks formed on his disgusting shell of a skin. Through a heavy crack on the head, Link caught a small glimpse of his bleeding skull. As for anything else, the door blocked each other's sights. Suddenly, the door banged twice before reaching the wall, as another thud vibrated across the floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, Link crawled his way to the wall, facing the door. However, another deranged moan managed to muffle out from the door. "You… were not supposed to die!"

Eventually, the echoing last words of that guard faded in Link's mind, as the grinding of the ceiling drowned out his trace of thought. Tilting his head toward the ceiling, Link rested his eyes, soon succumbing to the prison's familiar darkness.

The homely sound of crickets shook Link from his sleep. Standing to his feet, he sees another scroll inching out of its way from beneath the door, as a streak of fresh blood sat beside it. Staring at its bizarre language of symbols and pictures, Link sets it away in his inventory. First, Link glances at the stairway, leading back into the lobby, and then glances off in the other direction, staring at the end of the hallway. Forcing himself to move on, Link cautiously passed by the forgotten cells. Strangely enough, not a single lock lay on its barred gate.

Dry blood shaded the walls of the horrid room, as a pile of fragile skulls sit still in the corner. A small hole in the ceiling led to the outside, while a lit torch provided a dimmed light. Aside from that, only a tall steel post stood glued to the floor, in the center of the room. With a closer look, ancient cuts could be compared to the fresh, all made by the same axe.

The room started to creak around Link as he spun around, trying to look for the source. Shortly, a small vibration rumbled across the floor. Soon reacting to the fall of a torch, Link watched it roll close, with its flame still kindling. A delayed instinct forced him to look at the floor, only to find it was too late to jump away.

Feeling the impact of about a five-foot drop, Link finds himself surrounded by the darkness. Glancing back up, Link only saw the torch, leaning on the hole. Deciding to take control of the situation, Link unleashed the Ricochet Slash with his own torch, allowing him some light…

"You trouble me too much, boy…"

Turning his head toward the source, Link shone the fire against the upper corner of the dark room. Suddenly, a bitter chill crossed with his back.

Blue blood dripped from the beast's cheek, onto its oversized belly, as it crunched noisily on a thick spider's leg. A white blanket of webs covered its entire body, as a massive axe hung in front of him. "…A person would anything to survive in this world." Link heard it gulp down the rest of the spider's leg. "You're no exception." At a closer look, it still had a human face, only fading with outrageous hair growing from all sides.

"That damned Gerudo… caused one of the biggest jailbreaks I ever had at this prison. It forced me to release the beasts from under this prison. Every prisoner died at that event, but those freaking spiders scared off the food deliveries, due yesterday. My own boss captured the Gerudo, with the creatures left to me. My men and I starved as we slaughtered an army of the freaking specimen. It drove me crazy at the thought. I couldn't take it anymore. I tore off a man's arm to keep fighting! Like a beast, I learned to adapt to the spiders, taking whatever they had to offer." A still silence took over the room.

"I ain't taking it no more. To live in my own prison like this... is hell. I'm tired of this freaking life! Come on boy! Let's test this so called precious _courage!_"

Immediately jumping back, Link saw the massive axe connect to the ground in front of him, shuffling dirt everywhere as Link notices the its handicap. Without doubt, it used the spider's web to extend the axe's range of attack. After it pulled back the axe like a mere yo-yo, Link readied the last of his energy to fight against this… this… nightmare.

_This is what happens when people take too much for granted._


	7. Spellbound Prisoner Part Three

Small clumps of dirt pelt against Link's legs as he darts side to side, swaying to avoid the axe's impact. Quickly learning of the boy's evasive pattern, the nightmare breaks out a small grin, soon hauling back the colossal axe into its hands one more time. Within seconds, the Executioner slams its axe into the ground, shredding a wild explosion everywhere as it leaves behind an unclear fate beneath a cloud of dust.

As the air clears away, the Executioner notices Link with his eyes closed, having one foot sit still on the axe's diagonal blade, stuck in the dirt, and the other stood on a small crack of dry dirt. Link opens his eyes, calmly breathing an exaggerated sigh of boredom, as the Executioner responds with a hated expression. With a closer look, Link had the torch back in his inventory, simply taunting his foe's strength.

"Grraaah!" Putting his rage to work, it heaved back the axe with the blade starting to pull from the dirt. Instantly, Link's instincts burst back into action as he unleashes another Ricochet Slash into the fallen torch upstairs. Just as the axe takes off, Link leaps onto the hilt, barely managing to keep his balance as the torch wildly flips through the air, trailing behind Link. With the distance between the axe and its wielder closing in, Link carefully concentrated his situation. Waiting for the right moment, the seconds slowly ticked away at the dawdling hands of time. Slamming his foot forward onto the webbed stomach, Link thrusts his other foot onto the Executioner's face as he skyrockets onto the ceiling, ready to grip the following torch back into his hand. Launching off the ceiling, Link feels the torch uncontrollably shake in his hands while the torch blazes a line of fire straight down the stomach.

However, strands of webs plunge toward Link, having one string knock out the torch from his hands, letting the others silently ensnare Link's body before his feet reached the ground. Rebounding back into the nightmare's elevation, Link immediately finds his mouth ready to gag as he stared at the mutated body beneath the thin layer of burnt ashes. Thousands of tiny insects stampede on the Executioner's stomach, with several bodies engulfed by either the disgusting blue blood or the sooty ashes. Without warning, the ensnaring web squeezed tighter as an unexpected punch flies across Link's face. As if the web was a third hand, it catapults him across the room, blasting a small crater in the wall as Link fell to the floor on his knees.

Spitting out a drop of blood, he somehow manages to find the strength to stand back up, bringing his eyes to grasp for his situation and the torch. By pure luck, instinct drove him to sidestep another thread of webs, piercing the crater in the wall, proving to have the strength and speed of a wrecking ball. As the nightmare gradually reels it back, dirt collapses in its place. However, another thump echoes throughout this underground basement with a quiet vibration following through.

Glancing back, Link cautiously steps closer to the unknown object in the center of the room, hoping to use it to his advantage. With a closer look, it held a barrel appearance, larger than what it seems. Standing tall on its side, Link notices a small spark of fire behind the object. Finding a small rope having a spark tear its away to the barrel, Link immediately spins back, as a wild flash of light blew into the room. His body flung into the air. The stones of the wall began to tremble, shifting toward the floor, as the dirt shuffles with it. Pieces of the ceiling crash toward the floor, constantly beating on the dirt...

It's as quiet as death. Something seemed to stall the replenishing of strength. Gritting his teeth, he set aside a heavy stone to escape the debris. Patting off the dust on his black tunic, Link examined the room. For once, the room was not engulfed by the darkness, due to the missing ceilings, yet a morbid presence still lingered in this place. Catching a torch by the corner of his eye, Link took the chance to seize it. "Hey, Mr. Hero!"

Glancing at peak of the stable walls, Link grinned to see David Junior waving at him as the balloon's size seemed equal to the bright moon. "Need some help?" Suddenly, a mummified hand shot up from the collapsed rubble, lifting two pieces of a wall to a standing position. Immediately shoving off the dead weight, it stands there, eyes burning of a vivid red, and spider legs stretching out its outrageous length. "Holy…

Ga…" Glancing at David Junior, Link noticed the obvious wide-open expression, his jaw dropped to his neck, and several body parts shaking in fear, with others soon following. "It's another eight-legged freak!! We're all going to die!"

Glancing back at the situation, Link stared in terror. Like columns of a building, the six giant spider legs encircled Link, as the nightmare glared at him from above, giving off a quiet, mischievous laugh. "Hehehe…"

Launching one of the spider legs to line up with the moon, the nightmare thrusts forward with it. Managing to deflect it, Link soon finds others ready to stampede on his throat. Enduring the heavy combo, slapping each stab away, Link knew he couldn't keep it up. Getting annoyed with the continuous blocks, the nightmare dives down to shove its claws. Blocking both of them, Link felt his body bend back as his knees tried to stand their place. Glancing at where the claws and his torch met, Link almost puked at the sight of its left hand, only consisting of yellow bones, as the other gave decaying skin and cracked fingernails to match the color.

However, a blast of smoke fell behind the nightmare's back. Link finds a glimpse of David Junior floating with his balloon, readying another bomb in fear. "You, you want some more of this?" Instantly, it became obvious who thrown the massive keg into the room.

Ignoring Link for the minute, the nightmare skyrocketed into the air, only to feel another explosive from the fairy. Falling into the ruins, with sharp rocks pecking at the nightmare's back, Link tightens the grip on the torch. "Hey Hero, it's all up to you now! I ran out of bombs!" Skidding the torch's end across on a sharp rock, it lights on. Taking a deep breath, Link rages forward as the nightmare begins to regain its control.

In the first spin, you could hear the flame roar across the air. The second blew a faster speed, managing to get a good grip on the ground. One last spin shot a heavy inferno as Link let the torch rupture through the nightmare's face. Crying in a shrill voice, the nightmare started to fade away as the flames swallow its body. "No, it can't be! Is that all it takes…? Just… just courage?"

"Hey… Courage ain't all that had to do with it. It takes confidence." Turning away from the dying flames, Link glances at David Junior, crossing his arms as he grinned. Shortly, a webbed object rolls from the fire in front of Link. Picking it up, the ashes of the web fall off, soon revealing a scroll. Without any surprise, encrypted letters lie on its worn surface. Setting into his inventory, a sudden phrase seem to pop out in his mind...

"It takes fear to have courage."


	8. Untitled

_...Hey_

David Junior grinned as he gave a friendly punch to Link's shoulder. "Heh, I guess I don't have to call you Mr. Hero anymore! We sure showed him, didn't we? ...Anyway, did you find anything about our savior?" Remembering what the Executioner said before the battle, Link looks down in dismay.

"...Ouch; I guess it was a bad idea to go back. Sigh, either way, we're back where we started... I guess I'm going to restock on bombs. Think you can survive without me? Heh, later!" With that, David Junior sets off into the starless sky.

_...Look!_

Tiny remains of a _chalky powder_ lay scattered across the strong winds. Spider webs, ashes, and dirt filled between the spaces of the jagged rocks as an uneven wall surrounded the debris. Many loose stones lay dispersed on the walls. Still, the flame crackled in the wind, with an unsettling presence lingering in this chaotic room.

Link shifts into a lazy position, leaning onto the wall while his head tilts back toward the dull moon. Aside from that, it seemed his only option of leaving was to the empty doorway two floors up, leading back to the hallway of the cells.

However, looking back at the ruins of the battle, it all seemed too easy. A wild thought sprang from the boredom of his mind, breaking out a mischievous grin across his face. Rocketing from his position, Link sprints recklessly across the room, soon blasting his feet into the air. Using a massive collection of spider webs as a trampoline, he sprang forward, taking his body to perform an uncontrollable front flip. If his feet hadn't struck the wall first, his head would bust open from the impact. Suddenly, just as his right hand clutches a stone, his body leans back as the stone slips out, with Link gripping tightly onto another stone with his left hand.

From there, he took each step cautiously as he climbed the uneven wall. Finally, his feet touched the solid floor of the hallway. If not for the torches, the hallway would give a pitch-black darkness. Link glances back, amazed that the flame still managed to live. Taking one step forward, Link felt prepared to leave his childhood forever...

Suddenly, a small object falls onto his hood. It dribbles past his neck. About five more pelt against his head. Reaching over his head, Link found nothing there. An itch falls on his forehead. Before he knew it, a tiny spider glared at him upside-down. Flying backwards, he watched the tiny spider fall and leave, but as he glanced up...

Horror crossed his face. An endless amount of tiny silhouettes scattered across the ceiling, closing off every inch of space that was available. Glancing back at the dark hallway, miniature beasts rush their way from the tiny cracks to engulf the walls, floor, and even the ceiling. Eager to escape the horrid infestation, Link attempted to creep his way out, only to land his first step crushing one of them. At that moment, he dared not linger in this unbearable darkness.

It was unnatural. Few stumbled into his messy hair. Several managed to crawl beneath his tunic. Panting for breath, one accidentally finds its way into his mouth. Never before in his tortured childhood has he faced anything more... foul than this. After spitting it out, Link takes a bad slip on the floor. Crashing through the long stairway to the lobby, Link flies onto the ground, struggling to endure the constant pains from the scars of his previous battles.

Dragging his feet across the floor, Link steps around the small remains of withered corpses, and finally reaches the very entrance of the prison. Crickets welcomed him into the outside world; his heart persists to thrash out in a fast rhythm, similar of that close to a person's death. However, just as he reaches sees the dead grass in sight, with the dark blue night greeting him a familiar essence... Freedom evades him.

Clinging onto a cold gate of iron cell bars, Link throws his arm between them, unable to grasp his escape. Another cellmate's quote screams in his head. "So close... yet so far." Sliding onto the cold, hard floor, Link could touch the natural ground outside the gate.

Link flips his body over, allowing his back to lie against the gate. It seemed forever... the horrid upcoming of his fate. With the little time he had left, he gently closed his eyes.

_...Listen! _

Bursting out of the darkness, their tiny details rush on the cold floors, obviously towards Link. Like a wild roar of the ocean, it comes in a heavy wave crashing onto the shore. Trickles of their small presences fall from the ceiling. In just minutes, the rapid stampede faded away. Something was wrong. Link glances between the iron bars. The wasted grass violently shakes throughout the ground.

Suddenly, Link recognizes the same chalky powder, mixed in with heavy smoke. In mere seconds, the ceiling comes ablaze with a roaring fire, tearing with its explosive heat. Realizing the situation Link leaps away to evade a clutter of stones, crashing to the floor. Shambling with whatever strength he had left, Link gasped at the entire lobby before him. Thanks to the fire, he saw what he didn't before. Although the bodies crumbled into an unrecognizable state, Link found an imprinted tattoo of a skull on each back of the massive spiders, who were all trying to escape the flaming ceiling. Link shoots his eyes back at the clutter of stones, blocking the entrance completely. At an instant, he realized something... A terrible swarm of cursed monsters had just been unleashed into the world.

Limping forward, Link forces himself to move on, proceeding onto the second floor. For some strange reason, Link finds himself gripping that rusty handle again.

Surprising, the blue light still enshrouded the circular room. Lying against the door, the boy watched the ceiling spikes start to a slow motion.

_The scrolls! _

In an instant, the boy remembered the scrolls. Spreading it out on the floor, in the order he found them, he finally finds the encrypted characters easy to read. Setting a familiar harmonica close to his dry lips, he tries to play out the instrumental notes on the scroll...

Soon, as a calming melody plays out, the entire room begins to dim into the darkness, with a vast pool of shallow depth reflects off the floor. The boy stands to his feet, finding the gravity suddenly lifting off his body. Straight ahead, he sees the source of the blue light, flickering at an unstable rate.

_...In this room, you forget everything... your name, your goal, and even your concentration. However, if you are strong enough you will keep one of the listed... _

The reflections distort into a small image of the past, revealing a forgotten Link who lays unconscious in a familiar cave, as well as David Junior, a young girl dressed royally, and a blue fairy...

"Why were you two prisoners?"

"I guess it's illegal to impersonate a fairy. As for that guy, I heard that he's been in there since birth. To tell ya the truth, there are no rules. The prison only releases the criminals and captures the innocent..." It echoes from there... The image distorts to a man, holding that girl by the neck.

"Hmph, I never expected the princess of Hyrule to pay a visit to the Shadow Realm." Driving away the memory, the reflection rips apart, going back to normal.

_He... sealed me in this room, using my energy to curse all who comes here. Zelda was the first victim. Using his magic, he altered her goal, hypnotizing her to work for him. She now guards the portal between the Shadow Realm and the Golden Land. Please... save her. I have little time left... The portal is in the hidden orchard. I will take you outside with the last of my power. Please... save the two worlds..._

A wild flare engulfs the room, surrounding them with its blazing inferno. Link's body goes weak as his body falls forward into the water, with the blue light hovering over him.


End file.
